To what extent does a comparative study accentuate the influence of context on Frankenstein and Blade Runner? While issues change throughout history, values are often similar but presented from the perspective of an era. Mary Shelley's 1800's Frankenstein and Ridley Scott's 1982 Director's cut of Blade Runner essentially explore the same themes. The messages of ambition and science to usurp God and the loss of humanity reflect the time and contexts of the texts. Frankenstein depicts the ambition to use science to usurp God, influenced by the eighteenth century Enlightenment movement (encouraging reasoning to understand the universe), advancements in science in the nineteenth century and the concept of restoration of life through electricity, known as 'galvanism'.
It is Frankenstein’s responsibility to teach the monster and see it as a friend. It’s because Frankenstein rejects his creature that causes it to become evil. “Oh No mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that wretch. I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then, but when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing suck as even Dante could not have conceived.”(pg.49) Each time the monster killed it was a consequence of Victor’s actions.
However, the values remain consistent and thus via the respective forms of the text, composers explore issues relating to humanity and unchecked science. Within each text, the composers similarly explore how when scientific endeavour is pursued without a moral frame, the consequences for creator and created, and furthermore humanity, are devastating. The impact on mankind is reflected as Victor Frankenstein brings his monster into existence. This is evident through the use of high modality as he says ‘a new species would bless me as its creator’ and ‘natures would owe their being to me’. Victor’s distant and cold language reveals his overwhelming hubris and reflects the conflation of scientific and Romantic paradigms.
Inhumanity and monstrosity is depicted in Frankenstein, through the characters of Victor and the creature, whom can be perceived as doppelgangers. Initially the creature is seen as physically horrifying, which is expressed through description, the hyperbole “his face was wrinkled into contortions too horrible for human eyes to behold,” but is initially benevolent until contact with civilisation transformed him into a vengeful murderer. This also evokes Rousseau’s Romantic theory of the noble savage; that man’s existence is superior amongst nature, when he is not exposed to the malicious influences of society. Towards the end of the novel, Victor is also seen to be a monster, as he did not take responsibility for his creation, which leads to his realisation, “I, not in deed, but in effect, was the true murderer.” This is also a similar case for Tyrell in Blade Runner; however, he does not feel guilt for the treatment and injustice of his replicants. “Commerce is our goal,” is his slogan, depicting his greed and inhumanity, which is reflective of the economically driven 20th century.
Victor represents society intent on pushing the boundaries and themonster represents the product of this curiosity; of technology gone wrong;technology without ethics. “Accursed creator! Why do you form a monster so hideousthat even you turn away from me in disgust?” The monsters constant rhetoricquestioning addresses these ethics and illuminates the monster as a symbol of innocence in the face of corruption. Victor’s relationships also allow insight into themoral dilemma of creation. Victor’s positive family relationship is juxtaposed againsthis spite for the monster, a somewhat child of his.
(1818) Created by Mary Shelly. Strongly Influenced by the Romantic Movement and the Industrial Revolution. Evident from the critiquing of 19th century science in a world which was highly structured around nature. Also explored through Bladerunner: Sci-fi & Film Noir Created by Ridley Scott. Produced in the following century where technological advances and growth played a major role in life & society.
"The accomplishment of his toils" is the creature, created from human body parts Frankenstein harvested from graveyards (34). Frankenstein’s motivation for creating this abomination is his desire to play God: "It was the secrets of heaven and earth that [he] desired to learn; and whether it was the outward substance of things or the inner spirit of nature and the mysterious soul of man that occupied [him]" (22). As Frankenstein becomes consumed in his
Frankenstein wanted to recreate his mother, but instead he made a creature comprised of the socially repressed elements of Frankenstein (the monster) and his wish for his mother. Frankenstein's creature comprises all of the unacceptable traits of humans, those we usually suppress. These traits may actually be a representation of those traits that Frankenstein wishes he had. Mary Shelley tries to humanize the position of the impossible monster to imagine what it would be like for a monster to sustain personhood when everybody around him treats him as an utterly outcast to society. Shelley is trying to show that the creature is not inherently monstrous, but
Essay: Frankenstein by Mary Shelly based on “The Uncanny” It is a strange, but yet stimulating phenomenon to justify and compare the inanimate and animate object by suggesting the impression of unconscious work behind the ordinary appearance of mental activity. Throughout the novel, Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, Victor Frankenstein’s character possesses “knowledge, feelings and experience” in common with the self-named monster he has created. The monster is presented as both a human being and automaton, while Frankenstein is deliberated according to his appearance of sanity versus insanity. Why is it so difficult for Frankenstein to dissemble himself from the creature’s wrath? Perhaps it is true and applies to this “double” situation when they say “you are who you marry.” This brings meaning and relates to Frankenstein in the sense that unconsciously, Frankenstein creates a creature that possesses and resembles Frankenstein’s most deep and inner thoughts and desires.
He then used electricity to give life to his creature. By making the monster, he was taking the place of God, or according to the myth, the god Prometheus, and became the creator instead of just the created. “Prometheus knows the good consequences that his acts and his pride will have to mankind, but Frankenstein acts without stopping to think what could happen after” (Pastelero). Although Frankenstein does become a creator by creating the monster, he does not care for his creation in the way Prometheus cared for his humans he created. Frankenstein was not a good creator, he was actually trying desperately to kill his monster he made.